Apparatus for drying pottery and the like.



J. BIHRER.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING POTTERY AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1912.

Patented Apr. 219, 1913.

COLUMBIA PLANuuRAPl-l C0.,\VASHINGTON. D. c.

k J. BHRER. APPARATUS POR DRYING POTTERY AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1912.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Zag Z.

P ,9, 'ji-3.179

coLuMBlA PLANUGRAPH cnw^sHlNnTQN. D. c.

. J. BHRBR. APPARATUS FOR DRYING POTTERY AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 17, 1912.

Patented Apr. 29, 1913.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM C0.. WASHINGTON. D, c.

JACOB BHRER, or consrancn, GERMANY.

APPARATUS FOR DRYING POTTERY AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 29, i913.

Application filed September 17, 1912. Serial No. 720,722.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that l, JACOB BHRER, a Swiss citizen, and resident of 23/25Schottenstrasse, Constance, in the Grand Duchy of Baden, German Empire,engineer, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatusfor Drying Pottery and the Like.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for drying pottery,bricks, tiles and the like and relates more particularly to that type ofdrying apparatus in which a plurality of drying chambers are arrangedaround a central hot-air chamber or duct and capable of beingindividually connected thereto through adjustable openings and of beingconnected with each other successively through adjustable openings, eachdrying chamber being also capable of being put into communication with acentral moist-air chamber leading either to a chimney or to an exhaustfan or the like.

The present invention has for its object to improve the construction ofdrying apparatus of this type, to obtain a more uniform distribution ofheat through the drying chambers, and to utilize the heat present in thedrying chambers after the material in the latter has been fully dried.

According to the present invention each drying chamber is connected withthe hotair chamber and moist-air chamber by means of conduits arrangedbeneath the drying chambers. By this arrangement the conduits may o-peninto the hot-air and moist-air chambers in close proximity to eachother, thus enabling comparatively small central chambers to beemployed, thereby economizing space.

Each hot-air supply conduit moreover opens through slots or orificesinto its drying chamber at different points in the length thereof, sothat a better distribution of hotair in the drying-chambers is effected.

The drying chambers are furthermore adapted to be connected withl eachother successively through valved openings arranged at alternating endsof the drying chambers so that the hot-air is compelled to pass from endto end of each drying chamber and thus uniformly heat up the latter.

In order to utilize the heat present in the drying chambers after thematerial has been fully dried therein, the drying chambers are adaptedto be connected successively by bridge pipes or the like so that, onopening the usual end charging door, cold air will enter and be heatedin the drying chamber and from thence pass through the bridge pipe tothe next drying chamber where it mixes with the hot air coming from thecentral hot air chamber.

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, reference ismade to the accompanying drawings which illustrate one form of dryingapparatus according to the present invention,

Figure 1 is a horizontal section through the apparatus, Fig. 2 a planview of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section substantially on the lineA B of Fig. l.

rlhe drawings illustrate a drying apparatus having 8 drying chambersnumbered l, 2, 3, a, 5, 6, 7 and 8 respectively, the chambers l and 2and 5 and 6 respectively being separated by means of any suitable slidevalve or damper c, and the chambers 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, 7 8, 1 beingconnected in series through openings Z which may also be provided withslide valves or dampers CZ and which are arranged at alternating ends ofthe drying chambers.

Arranged centrally of t-he apparatus is a hot air chamber B ofcomparatively small capacity supplied with hot air by way of a pipe Kfrom any suitable source. The hot air chamber B is connected to each ofthe drying chambers l to 8 by conduits a opening in close proximity toeach other and provided with any suitable form of controlling valves a,each conduit a opening into its drying chamber at different points inits length through transverse apertures or slots a and c.

rlhe drying chambers are each provided at one end with an outerremovable door 7, and are further capable of being connected in seriesthrough bridge pipes g or the like. Extending over and on both sides ofthe hot air chamber B is a saddle shaped moist air collecting chamber Cwhich is connected to the chambers l to 8 by means of conduits ZJ havingvalves b and Opening in close proximity to each other and opening intoone end of the drying chambers through transverse slots or openings b. Eis a blower or other exhaust device for withdrawing the moist airfromthe chamber C through a connection D.

It will be seen that if the valve Z2 connecting the chamber C with theconduit b leading to the chamber 4 is open and if all the other conduitsbe disconnected from the chamber C and hot air supplied from the chamberB to the drying chamber 4 through its corresponding conduit a', hot airwill enter through the apertures a and 0 into the chamber 4 and bedistributed uniformly therethrough and the moist air will be withdrawnthrough the aperture into the conduit and chamber C, and from thencedischarged'through the blower E. It will be' chamber 3 will be connectedto the collecting chamber C by opening the controlling valve connectingthe moist air chamber C with the conduit Z2 opening thereinto. By thismeans hot air will enter the chamber 1` throu'h the aaertures a and cand be uniformly distributed therein and will pass successively from endto end through the chambers 1, 2 and 3 to the collectingchamber C,

the temperature of the hot air gradually' falling on the way. It followsof course that those goods in t-he chamber l will be' first dried andthat in the meantime the: chamber 4 may be filled with goods to be'dried. As soon as the goods in the chamber l are sutliciently dry, thevalve d separating the chambers 3 and 4 may be opened, and t-he chamber3 disconnected from the moist air collect-ing chamber C, and the chamber4 thereupon in similar manner connected to the collecting chamber C. Atthe same time hot air may be supplied direct to the chamber 2 from thehot air chamber and the valve c between the chambers 1 and 2 closed.

In order to utilize the heat present in the chamber l, the latter may beconnected with the chamber 2 by way of the bridge pipe gv and airadmitted to the chamber l by opening the door f. The air thus enteringthe chamber l will be heated and pass through the pipe g into thechamber 2 and mix with the hot air supplied thereto through the conduita. In a. similar manner the chambers 5, 6, 7 and 8 may be successivelyput into operation and the other chambers succes-` sively put out ofoperation, and it will thus be seenx that a continuous drying operationvcan be carried Iout and the hot air at the same time fully utilized.

To commence the drying operation, hot air is iirst supplied to one ofthe chambers, such as to t-he chamber l until the requisite temperatureis obtained therein, whereupon the next drying chamber may be connectedin series thereto and raised to the requisite temperature, eac-hsucceeding drying chamber being connected to the series as soon as t-helast of the series has been raised to the requisite temperature.

It will of course be understood that any desired number of dryingchambers may be employed and that, if desired, each drying chamber maybe individually utilized for drying purposes.

I claim `1. Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-airchambers, a plurality of drying chambers arranged around said hot-airand moist-air chambers and conduits arranged beneath said dryingchambers and connecting said drying chambers with said hot-air andmoist-air chambers respectively, said conduits opening into said hot-airand moist-air chambers in close proximity to each other.

2. Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-air chambers, aplurality of drying chambers arranged around Said hot-air and moist-airchambers -and conduits connecting said drying chambers with said hot-airand moist-air chambers respectively, the conduits connecting said dryingchambers with said hot-air chamber opening into the drying chambers atdifferent points in the length thereof.

8. Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-air chambers, aplurality of drying chambers arranged around said hot-air and moist-airchambers, conduits connecting said drying chambers with said hot-air andmoist-air chambers respectively, said drying chambers having connectingopenings arranged at alternating ends so as to be connected with eachother successively, and valves for controlling said openings.

4. Drying apparatus comprising centralv hot-air and moist-air chambers,a plurality of drying chambers arranged around said l hot-air and moistair chambers, conduits connecting said drying chambers with said hot-airand moist-air chambers respectively, said drying chambers havingconnecting openings arranged at alternating ends so as to be connectedwith each other successively, valves :tor cont-rolling said openings, anair-admission door to each drying chamber, and bridge pipes connectingadjacent drying chambers.

5. Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-air chambers, aplurality of drying chambers arranged around said hotair and moist-airchambers and conduits arranged beneath said drying chambers andlconnecting said drying chambers with said hot-air and moist-airchambers respectively and opening into the latter in close proximity toeach other, said drying chambers y having connecting openings arrangedat alternatlng ends so as to be connected with each other successively,and valves for controlling said openings.

6. Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-air chambers, aplurality of drying chambers arranged around said hot-air and moist-airchambers and conduits arranged beneath said drying chambers andconnecting said drying chambers with said hot-air and moist-air chambersrespectively, said drying chambers having connecting openings arrangedat alternating ends so as to be connected With each other successively,and valves for controlling said openings, the conduits connecting thedrying chambers With said hot-air chamber opening into the dryingchambers at dierent points in the length thereof.

7 Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-air chambers, aplurality of drying chambers arranged around said hot-air and moist-airchambers, conduits arranged beneath said drying chambers and connectingsaid drying chambers With said hot-air and moist-air chambersrespectively, the conduits connecting said drying chambers with saidhot-air chamber opening into the drying chambers at dierent points inthe length thereof, an air admission door to each drying chamber andbridge pipes connecting adjacent drying chambers.

8. Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-air chambers,aplurality of drying chambers arranged around said hotair and moistairchambers, conduits arranged beneath said drying chambers and connectingsaid Idrying chambers With said hot-air and moist-air chambersrespectively, said drying chambers having connecting openings arrangedat alternating ends so as to be connected With each other successively,valves for controlling said openings, an air admission door to eachdrying chamber, and bridge pipes connecting adjacent drying chambers.

9. Drying apparatus comprising central hot-air and moist-air chambers, aplurality of drying chambers arranged around said hot-air and moist-airchambers, conduits arranged beneath said drying chambers and connectingsaid drying chambers with said hot-air and moist-air chambersrespectively, the conduits connecting said drying chambers With saidhot-air chamber opening into the drying chambers at different points inthe length thereof, said drying chambers having connectingopeningsarranged at alternating ends so as to be connected with each othersuccessively, valves for controlling said openings, an air-admissiondoor to each drying chamber, and bridge pipes connecting adjacent dryingchambers.

In Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twoWitnesses.

JACOB BHRER.

lVitnesses AUGUST OOSTERMAN, ANNA BHRER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

